12 Years a Slave: 1841. Black man Solomon Northup lives as a free man in Saratoga, New York with his wife and two children, he earning a living as a violinist. On what he believes will be an out of town music gig, he is instead drugged and sold into slavery in the deep south under the name Platt as that is for who the slave trader has papers. Initially incredulous to his plight, he decides that cooperation is the best way to survive. He sees few others in the same situation as him, but slowly he is separated from those with who he has built support. This process continues over his life as a slave, as he is at the mercy of whoever his master at the time and his master's associates who work on their own...

The unimaginable state of anguish and anger of a man taken from his family and turned into a thing for lighter-skinned men and a plaything for lesser-minded ones, all the while keeping his wits and dignity in the hopes to find his lost life again. This is a sad, ugly slice of the old South, the one of tea parties on white porches and slaves tied to posts, and it does strike deep, like those wounds that never healed. ★★★★★

This movie was kind of hard to watch, seeing my people suffering and such. It brings a grim reminder of how i hate white people. Probably won't watch it again.
The quality of the video isn't all that great, but watchable i recommend waiting for a better version.

Entertaining movie but I wonder are movies like this made to make us feel the pain again, make the others feel guilty for what their people did to ours, make money or all of the above? What ever the reason I have officially had enough thank you.

I tried but I couldn't get away from the pain I feel watching this movie. specially based on true events. Nahh some races were just naturally bad. I can't imagine how hard it was for my ppl in them times....I can't even start to imagine

First off what do you mean "Us feel the pain again"? You never once felt what they felt. Yes you may be of the same race but you never once felt what it was to live like that. The fact that you even compare yourself and feelings to the feelings they have makes me sick. Yes its obviously sad and upsetting to anyone who watches this for the fact that ANY HUMAN could treat ANOTHER HUMAN this way (not one race treating another race) is disgraceful. The statement "my people" everyone is everyone's person these days not one particular groups. It is people like you Hokkaidowolf that make it so other's still feel the effects today DerekD. You really want to know whats upsetting, I spoke to a man the other day who was speaking to me about a website he was apart of, this certain website was for men who were in I.T, and when I had asked him about joining he said I couldnt because it was a black only forum. Now from my point of view things of this nature are no worse then hate groups or mexican only forums or anything that separates man from one another. This is the true reason why we cannot come together and rebuild into one. Everyone is to busy creating race specific activities and discussions. So until that day ends we will never be united and the past will never be the past. Also I know what I have stepped into by making this comment and honestly I dont give a DAMN, I am tired of hearing about all this race bullshit and people today putting their feelings side by side with those who lived in the past. Maybe you should take all this energy and hatred and passion and put it towards something you can actually make a difference in not something on the past. For example KONY a current issue in Africa also as you state "my people" why not get heated and as angry at that as you are as what happened years ago. Why does that not bother you? Oh thats right because that would require you to do something other then sit on your ass all day and complain about what happened in the past just to feel like your apart of something. Thats much easier isnt it? But it doesnt do any good if anything it makes things worse. You could put your feelings and drive into a current world problem but nah your to busy for that right? Well anyway I had to post this because I am damn tired of everyone and all this race stuff that happened in the past when we have current issues we need to be working on.

You display the classic example of a white person who is now tired of feeling guilty for what your ancestors did so you come on these forums and tell black people that they are the problem. You possess the perfect character necessary to be a slave master. now..GTFOH David Duke

To cellmass, the comments above are very telling to your very one sided and ignorant point of view. There is no way that the person that was responding to feeling pain when watching these kinds of movies could ever articulate what your so sadly trying to minimize, not because his comments show that he hasn't the background or intelligence(like you) I think what he wanted to say is what all of "US" want to say-Its great to live in the delusion, that because you want this "everyone gets along" crap to be a reality it isn't and movies like this are the reason why Blacks don't take alot of whites seriously with their,"we understand attitude" and conventional thinking that all has changed with the inauguration of the 1st black president. When it comes to the opinions of those that will never know, why a person would feel like a prisoner in their own country-lets state the facts: the uncalled for stares, being followed in public, stores, shot for wearing the wrong style(RIP Trayvon or being constantly stalked and profiled by the biggest gang in the US-the police (try stop and frisk on a white guy in the suburbs.
There is no way that you should pretend to know what this man is going through, has been through and will continually experience until you can literally walk a mile in his shoes. Just stick to the movies

lets clear this up. I am white yes but the thing is my family came from germany and ireland after that part of history was already set in stone. So no I do not feel guilty for what happened because not one of my ancestors were apart of that. I feel sad for what happened to those people but not guilty. But its ok i assume your little brain associates every white person with slavery.

There is not a race of people on Earth that does not have history full of atrocities. I have a dream that one day we will stop living in the past, stop uses past atrocities as an excuse for not being the best you can be.
Its funny how the ignorant will accuse a group of people who want government to be responsible a bunch of racist while they will blindly vote Democrat even for a Senator that was a grand wizard of the KKK in West Virginia. Then again the way history books are written nowadays they probably don't know it was Republican that freed our ancestors from slavery. It was Republicans who passed the Civil Rights act (Eisenhower wold have done it if not for then Senator Lyndon B Johnson).

Zimmerman was acquitted in a court of law. If the roles were reversed, it wouldn't have been such a big deal. O.J. killed a couple of white people and got off with a sham of a trial and I saw no such outrage. Zimmerman had his day in court and was acquitted as I said. No black person alive felt the actual pain of their ancestors it just follows them and they won't let it rest by choosing hatemongers as their political leaders. Many Jews alive today were alive during the Holocaust and they still know and feel the real pain of themselves and their ancestors. There is nothing wrong with remembering where you came from a couple hundred years ago but it is not a good reason to blame all the failures in your life on something so long ago. The Indians got the shaft and others too. Not only blacks have had to suffer. There is still slavery today around the world that I don't see a black so-called president dealing with. Hypocrisy? I feel bad for everyone that ever had to suffer in such horrific ways. Remember history and do good to honor their memories not as an excuse to harm or be bigoted towards others. Life is what we make it.

I am a first generation black woman whose parents came from Jamaica in the hope of finding prosperity in England. I watched Roots in my early teens. It had the same effect on me that this movie had. But with the wisdom of middle age I urge all people of African descent to in future boycott any hollywood entertainment that references the horror that our ancestors endured.
Black parents, teachers, church elders, develop a proramme to inform the youth of their TRUE history, their proud african heritage. Encourage African pride and love first for one another.
The regurgitation by the media of the horrors that black people endured in order for the white man to build their empires serves only to keep this horror and degredation real in our own consciousness as our genetic memories are triggered.
Take control - there was never any resolution to the slavery of Africans, there was never any recompense.
Open your eyes - propaganda and population control, dumbing down - sheer apathy - the media is THE tool - the internet has excelerated the process - but everyone no matter what colour - but particularly those of African descent needs to walk in the awareness that a slavery - a much more intractable form - is being put in place right now. Slavery for our grandchildren is a real possibility. Wake up people.

moderator - why are you manipulating what comments viewers of this film see first - mine was the most recent comment and yet you have buried it - allowing cellmass to remain the first view to be read. Nothing in life is free - LetMeWatchForFree/vodly

Slavery still exists... much of it by black people toward other black people, I've even got a few friends who managed to escape.
Remember and respect the past, and try to do something about the present.
I think it's a shame no recompense was ever repaid, and sadly those persons are dead and gone now.
But we can do something about the present. Not here to write a novel though, so that's all I will say.

This movie is sugar coated and some parts of the movie was added in to send subliminal messages to the black masses there is a free download on Google books way more informative than this crappy movie good acting but the movies did not stick to the narrative. And to the comments below that is accusing blacks of blaming slavery for the source of our problems in North America can go kill yourself. You know good and damn well White America practice systematic racism against the Black American population and do not screw with any other group of people that immigrate to North America but blacks. You punks always deflecting from this truth by bringing up slavery knowing full damn well that is not the true issue Black Americans have with whites both the right and the left of the White American population participate in the systematic racism against blacks in 1. the racially biased media propaganda campaign ( the knock out game myth and other crap)Tariq Nasheed debunked that 2. racially biased economics 3. racially biased political local and state laws 4. miseducation( Google Umar Johnson lectures for more details on this subject 5.police brutality and street executions and the cops walk away with it or get little to no time for the killing. Just like slavery in North America was Systematic so is racism of today whether whites owned slaves or not the majority of the population then and today practice SYSTEMATIC RACISM AGAINST BLACK AMERICANS stop participating and speak up against this barbarism and both are people can have better race relations and co exist more peacefully. So let,s Stop playing games here.

In 1970 my father and mother were finally able to register to vote without being chased by dogs and sprayed with fire hoses. I am their son. They were not happier before they were able to vote no matter what you may have heard.

I was thinking of watching this movie, so I checked the comments section first. This racial banter is so dis-amusing and diheartening that I decided to forgo the film. First of all, the term "my people" inherently segregates you from the rest of society. You have now made a "group" of yourself, outside the normal definitions of people. Now there are your people and the rest of us. Second, I do not feel guilty for my ancestors actions. Did your dad cheat on your mom? Grandma on grandpa? Is your sister a stripper, prostitute, or wanted by law enforcement? Did someone somewhere in your family tree murder another human? Do you feel "guilty" about it, because obviously, according to your logic,the blame and guilt fall upon you. Of course not. Grow up, take rsponsibility for yourself and your actions and dont blame bad luck or crappy days on an entire race of people. I